Phil Ice

An Analysis of Students' Perceptions of the Value and Efficacy of Instructors' Auditory and Text-Based Feedback Modalities across Multiple Conceptual Levels

This article used work from the writing assessment literature to develop a framework for assessing the impact and perceived value of written, audio, and combined written and audio feedback strategies across four global and 22 discrete dimensions of feedback. Using a quasi-experimental research design, students at three U.S. universities were provided with text-based, audio-based, and a combination of text- and audio-based feedback over the course of a semester. A survey asking students to indicate their feedback preferences was administered and analyzed using multiple statistical techniques. The findings indicated that students preferred a combination of feedback modalities; however, selective delivery strategies may be preferable at various levels.

Optimal Experience in Virtual Environments among College Level Developmental Readers.

In this study, we examined optimal experience and the antecedents of flow as reported by college-level developmental reading students using Second Life, a multi-user virtual environment. In an educational context, Second Life provided a space for demonstrating 21st century skills including communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity. The researchers in this study examined optimal experience or flow, in particular, toward discovering the extent to which participants reported a prolonged, focused concentration during reading activities within Second Life that either preceded or paralleled the aforementioned 21st century skills. Participants were 42 students enrolled in two developmental reading courses in the fall 2009 semester. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed, yielding results that confirmed that optimal experience was attained and that further served as a catalyst toward demonstrated 21st century skills.

Quantifying Online Learning Contact Hours.

Technological and pedagogical advances in distance education have accentuated the necessity for higher education to keep pace regarding institutional infrastructures. Each infrastructure—driven by a common mission to provide quality learning—interprets quality according to standards established by various governmental and accrediting entities. Staying ahead of the technological and pedagogical changes have been challenging for many public higher education institutions, which are continuing to struggle with online course design and delivery modes (Suttle, 2010). Online universities, however, have aggressively and strategically responded to technological and pedagogical shifts across institutional, departmental, program, and course levels according to their institutional mission, vision, and core values. The American Public University System (APUS), a leader in postsecondary online learning, continues to align these foundational components through systematic program and course assessment. Demonstrating commitment to quality, APUS leaders developed the APUS Online Contact Hours Calculator to assist faculty and program directors with the assessment of total course contact hours. Core learning management system tools used to complete in-class and homework projects were apportioned time requirements toward contact hour calculations, thus streamlining the course review process, adhering to governmental and accreditation standards, and ensuring the overall quality and rigor of each online course.

Effects of 3D Virtual Simulators in the Introductory Wind Energy Course: A Tool for Teaching Engineering Concepts

Abstract This research provides an innovative solution for optimizing learning effectiveness and improving postsecondary education through the development of virtual simulators that can be easily used and integrated into existing wind energy curriculum. Two 3D virtual simulators are developed in our laboratory for use in an immersive 3D virtual reality (VR) system or for 3D display on a 2D screen. The goal is to apply these prototypical simulators to train postsecondary students and professionals in wind energy education; and to offer experiential learning opportunities in 3D modeling, simulation, and visualization. The issue of transferring learned concepts to practical applications is a widespread problem in postsecondary education. Related to this issue is a critical demand to educate and train a generation of professionals for the wind energy industry. With initiatives such as the U.S. Department of Energys “20% Wind Energy by 2030” outlining an exponential increase of wind energy capacity over the c...

USING THE COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY (COI) MODEL AND BLOOM'S REVISED TAXONOMY TO SUPPORT 21ST CENTURY TEACHING AND LEARNING IN MULTI-USER VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS

Online learning in higher education has, until most recently, been delivered primarily through learning management systems (LMS) such as BlackBoard, Moodle, and others. However, responding to budgetary concerns and burgeoning enrollments, delivery of online learning via multiple open source (free) formats, is quickly becoming an attractive and inexpensive option for online distance and learning programs. Multi-user virtual environments, or MUVEs, are one such option that provides an interactive and socially rich learning experience for learners. In this chapter, the authors propose a dually fused pedagogical framework that has the potential to provide both asynchronous and synchronous online learning activities the elicit critical thinking skills and that further align with additional skills twenty-first century learners and instructors need to compete in todays global society.

Emerging Technologies and Potential Paradigmatic Shifts in the Community of Inquiry Framework

Despite extensive Community of Inquiry (CoI) research, dependence on the technological foundations of online learning via the Learning Management System (LMS) remains underresearched. As a blank canvas for course creation, the LMS is a collection of tools and communication devices through which content and activities are developed. Instructional designers follow a linear design pathway where there is little potential for deviation; however, the ease of course development typically outweighs some LMS limitations. Although online learning and the CoI have evolved, advancements in learning technologies offer LMS alternatives. This chapter examines emerging platform and analytic technologies, emphasizing their potential impact on the three CoI presences. Attention is given to technologies that may have positive or negative impacts on collaborative, constructivist interdisciplinary learning models.